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playframe king

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Everything posted by playframe king

  1. LOL - heres a post i recently put up about reports of Ptarmigan/wavell gennys not putting out enough... Morning gents - i laughed my ******** off at this post at the part about generators - so I had to join your forum...... So, on the subject of FV435 - Wavells - i really hope you enjoy this post.....and pls excuse my memory..... I started my work life as an Engineer apprentice, for Plessey - who made the Ptarmigan comms systems. One of my roles, was to visit GKN Sankey, in Wolverhampton, and install the EDGS (Engine Driven Generator System) - onto brand new FV43 series vehicles, and then test them. The EDGS were made by us, Plessey Aerospace, at Titchfield in Hampshire. From memory, the contract was for 13 FV 435. I went for one week, every month, for 13 months (approx.) As GreenbaggySkin notes below - I helped the GKN boys lower, and fix the huge Box onto the vehicle - then craned in the EDGS - 11KvA was spot on !! - followed by the aircon unit.- Now, the engine was the same diesel as was fitted to London FX4 taxi's - with minor mods - and they did work - I know - cos i tested them - under full load with a load bank - which we used to have to transport to Wolverhampton for pretty much each build. - (but only in the factory!!) LOL again at the "Kettle" comment by GreenbaggySkin - we test all the onboard systems under full load - AC - in the factory - kettles weren't considered...so read on ! I also used to go out to Salisbury Plain and other places to help teach Army how to maintain them, and pick up on any in service failure modes - as well as the smaller 3.5kva and the 20KVA Ptarmigan system generators - usually mounted back2back on a Bedford truck - although I clearly recall seeing 3 on one Bedford..... So - couple of interesting stories.... We, indeed, kept getting reports of generators tripping, and overloading, in service - so was sent out to investigate - on a arrival, we noticed the "clip on" exhaust ducts for the 20KVA's snaked off into the woodlands - the idea was that if they were attacked, the heat sig would be at the end of the flex exhaust ducts, and the genny would be unharmed as it was some distance away. Anyway, the REME has them snaked back n forth through the tents - to keep them warm. Reme boys had also lashed together some heath robinson 3ph to single ph adaptors, and each tent was full powered up - with numerous kettles, radios, hi fis, lighting, etc etc - all being driven from the 20KVA's - which were also supposed to be running some battlefield comms systems - so YES - they often used to trip out !! cos all that stuff wasn't in the design spec..... Anyway, enough about 20KVA's - and back to Wavell 11kVA's - on FV435's.... (oh, yes, and one of the voltage regulator controls required several Mods to get it to work properly......) Every part was specially painted , and tested, to make it EMP proof - although even with my young years, and no experience in war, I questioned the effectiveness of this process... Agreed, the aircon was 'kin brilliant - and again, we would often find a "schedule" on the rear door - clearly showing which members of the Army were due to "cool down" / heat up inside the FV435 - at various times of day/night ..... As I say - i was young - early 20's - and it was a bit of a revelation getting propositioned by prostitutes knocking on the company car window if we had to work late at GKN Sankey in Bilston - as we drove to the Penn Hall Hotel. I even had a girlfriend called Paullete who I met at that hotel. So, Greeenbaggyskin, whilst I don't have a record of all the det - cos they didn't have registrations when I worked on them - , i hope this little piece of insight into how I helped build some of the kit you used to sit in and operate is well rec'd !! For the first 4 or 5 - i worked alongside members of the support team, Brian, Suttie, Norman (RIP) - whip used to report to Dave - in the Product Support function - and then after that I had enough experience so would take another apprentice and go and do the job. I also worked on a range of civil and military equipments - including Concorde, BAe146, Tornado, Harrier, as well as Boeing 747 etc etc.
  2. Dougy - those generator sets are Plessey 20 Kw units - i used to build and test them - they were on Bedfords - i once saw 3 on 1 - out in the field....
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